'Better Call Saul' Recap: 'Chicanery'

Written by John Edward Betancourt

​THIS IS THE EMERGENCY SPOILER ALERT SYSTEM...YOU ARE ADVISED TO READ AT YOUR OWN RISK...

When it comes to our favorite television shows, iconic moments are one of the many reasons that we bother to tune in. We simply crave those incredible, game changing moments when the landscape of the show is forever altered because it means the series in question is willing take risks to not only entertain us, but provide us with an experience. Sometimes shows pepper in these moments at random, leaving us in shock when the dust has settled, or in the case of Better Call Saul, they set them up in such incredible fashion that we just about count down the minutes until that iconic moment arrives. 

Because for the past two and a half seasons, we have watched James and Chuck McGill go back and forth in heartbreaking fashion, wherein Jimmy has done his best to turn his life around from a life of crime and shady dealings in order to receive acceptance from the brother he loves and admires, only to learn that Chuck firmly believes his little brother doesn't deserve to be a lawyer, that he is somehow sullying the law by practicing it, setting these two men on a path toward an inevitable showdown and it is that showdown that fans of this series have been waiting for with baited breath and at long last...that moment arrived between the two of them last night and after this nothing will ever quite be the same for the Brothers McGill because 'Chicanery' was a devastating and powerful episode, one that was filled to the brim with moments we will never forget. 

But, before we dig too deeply into Jimmy's hearing with the State Bar, we need to take a little time today and discuss what we learned about Chuck last night because the story did take a lot of time to give us some serious insight into the man, and as it turns out, pride and image are extremely important to Chuck and there is a fair chance that the end of his marriage shattered him in ways we may never understand. Case in point, the flashback this episode treated us to, where we saw Jimmy once again doing anything to help out his big brother by helping Chuck get the inside and the outside of the house cleaned up, because Rebecca was back in town and the time had come for Chuck to charm her and woo her once again over a lovely candlelight dinner. 

However, these intricate preparations were also designed to hide Chuck's 'condition' since he also put together an elaborate story as to why the power was out when she arrived and all of this effort and deception turned out to be a waste of time because a cell phone call from Rebecca's boss, sent Chuck into a downward spiral where he was not only incredibly rude to his ex-wife, he actually bothered to dig deeper into the lie, citing bad manners on her part as to why his attitude changed and he also made sure that Jimmy swore to never tell her about his condition and it was clear in that moment, how Chuck is perceived by others matters above all else. He must be viewed as a classy and intelligent lawyer and to be see as anything else is downright unacceptable. 

---

That matters plenty because that's the image he worked to have Howard and the state prosecutor paint before the Bar and for the most part, he was quite successful. Because Kim gave it her all in the courtroom, to no avail. The tape in question was played, and it looked incredibly bad for Jimmy. Plus to make matters worse, Chuck did such a fine job rehearsing his answers to the court that it truly seemed as though James McGill looked like he was going to lose this case. But dear Charles underestimated his baby brother and Jimmy put together the defense of a lifetime, stunning Chuck at every single turn, and while it seemed as though Jimmy was going to use theatrics to win the day, instead he used good old fashioned evidence, hiring Breaking Bad alum Huell to plant a battery on Chuck to prove all along that the 'condition' in question was nothing more than psychosis on Chuck's part and that...led to the most stunning moment of the night.

Because Jimmy's actions sent Chuck over the edge and he lost his cool, spitting nothing but venom at his brother and embarrassing himself in front of the State Bar and when all is said and done, this was some powerful, powerful stuff to watch, because it revealed so much. For starters, it showed just how good of a lawyer Jimmy truly is since he was able to outwit and outsmart his older brother in the courtroom, but it also demonstrated something that Jimmy has known deep down for some time now; this his brother truly hates him. To hear the things that Chuck said on the stand, with such impunity and anger was heartbreaking to listen to, but now Jimmy knows how Chuck really feels and truthfully, I don't think there is any recovery for their relationship after this. How on earth can brothers go back to being brothers after something like this? Especially when one considers that Jimmy in essence showed the State Bar Association, and anyone that matters in their career field...that his brother is mentally ill.

If anything, this whole episode served as the dismantling for several relationships on the show, including Kim and Howard for that matter as well. Because she also took the time to go after her former boss while he was on the stand with gusto and Howard doesn't strike me as the kind of man who takes that kind of treatment lightly and the fallout of these proceedings will no doubt come to haunt everyone in the weeks ahead on the show. Because we all know that Charles McGill will not stand for having his pride shattered in the courtroom, and there's no way in hell he will ever let go being bested in court by his 'crook' of a baby brother, so there is no doubt in my mind that revenge is coming, my only worry at this point is how much collateral damage will come into play when Chuck unleashes his nuclear fury. 

In the end however, there are two key things that made this episode so incredibly powerful. The first is Michael McKean and his performance because he truly took Chuck to new heights last night, and for the first time ever we finally saw the fury that resides within him and Mister McKean needs to be up for an Emmy after this one and the other fascinating element, is that this whole fiasco is likely crucial to the formation of Saul Goodman. Because squaring off against family like that, and having to craft a way to embarrass his brother in this fashion and do it with impunity requires Jimmy to surrender some of the good within his soul, allowing for the void created by such a move to be filled by something else. So make no mistake about it, Jimmy will be forever changed after this, and what Chuck has in store for him next, will only drive him further into the darkness...where Saul Goodman awaits. Until next time.

---